


Another Go

by misscam



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 04:51:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1040538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misscam/pseuds/misscam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is it, then. Another go at it. Snow, Charming and a baby – and a nephew, a (very) big sister, a step-grandmother and a very complicated family tree. [Charming family issues, Snow/Charming]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Go

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 3x06. Set some time after a return from Neverland, but not really getting into the specifics of how they got back or the aftermath of that. Written for Anne – happy very belated birthday, my dear Sith! Thanks to Angie for beta.

Another Go  
by misscam

Disclaimer: Not my characters, just my words.

II

Charming never lets go of her hand, not even when Snow squeezes it so hard it must leave bruises. He holds on, her anchor in a world of pain and pushing, pain and pushing and yet more pushing. Every now and then she can feel his lips against her temple, lingering kisses to remind her he's there.

“Snow,” he murmurs lovingly between her sharp cries, his voice almost calm but not quite. He's even forgetting to call her Mary Margaret (as has been their custom here in Storybrooke for Emma's sake). “Just one more, Snow.”

She squeezes his hand again and then cries out sharply and pushes, pushes and pushes and then she's not the only one crying out. A shrill, tiny cry fills the air and Charming draws a quick breath next to her. 

“Is it...” he asks breathlessly. Snow leans against him, feeling his arms support her as they both wait for the answer. 

“It's a healthy boy,” the nurse says and smiles at them; Snow feels dizzy as a wave of conflicting emotions washes over her. Regret. Happiness. Fear. Anticipation. Love. So much love it has to be true.

This is it, then. Another go at it.

Snow, Charming and a baby.

II

This is what they wanted. Like with Emma, it was a very wanted pregnancy but also one arriving slightly sooner than expected. After they returned from Neverland, it didn't take Snow that long to discover she was pregnant and that she would get what she wanted, that deep, secret wish of hers – her chance to be a mother and Charming to be a father. 

They wanted this. And yet they both cry as Snow cradles the tiny baby in her arms and Charming puts his arms around her as she leans back into his embrace. Maybe they're crying for Emma and what should have been. Maybe it's for what they'll now have a chance to do. Maybe it's in relief. Maybe it's for everything. 

This is their second child, and yet it's the first time they get to hold a baby of theirs for more than a few minutes. There is no curse this time. No heartbreaking decision to make about their child. There is just a newborn baby and its parents; a family in the making.

“Hey,” Charming says in a thick voice, touching the baby's cheek with a finger. “Snow, he's...”

His voice falters and Snow lifts her head and presses a kiss against his tear-streaked chin, feeling him shudder softly. 

“I know,” she whispers, and he tilts his head and kisses feather-light, his lips brushing hers tenderly before pulling away. They both glance down at the baby again, and Snow has to forcefully bite back a sob. This is a wonderful, beautiful baby – their baby – and she feels happier and more heartbroken than she's ever been. 

It's like losing Emma all over again by seeing what they lost. 

“Hey,” a voice says quietly from the door, and they both look up to see Emma standing in the doorway. She looks hesitant, but beside her, Henry is positively beaming. 

“Hey Emma,” Charming says, his voice still thick. “Hey Henry.”

“Gramps,” Henry says, approaching carefully but looking like he wants to run over. “Hey Grams. Is this...?”

“Yeah,” Snow says, managing a teary smile. “This is... This is your uncle.”

Charming lets out a laugh at that, and even Emma smiles at the absurdity of that statement. Henry as a nephew to a boy more than a decade younger than him; it is quite absurd. 

“He's so tiny,” Henry says, peering at the baby. “Do they all come in that size?”

“Yes, Henry,” Charming says, managing to keep his voice fairly even but Snow can catch the faintest hint of amusement in his tone. 

“Even Emma?” Henry asks, and Snow tries to swallow, but can't seem to get rid of the lump in her throat. Yes, she wants to say. The weight of the baby in her arms is the same as it was with Emma.

“Yeah,” Charming manages to reply, but she can hear the barely restrained emotion in his voice. “Emma was that size too.”

Henry glances over at Emma as if trying to imagine that. “Was I the same size as well when I was born?”

“Um,” Emma says, and she looks absolutely panicked for a moment. “Yeah, sure.”

“Babies come in baby size, Henry,” Charming says gently, glancing over at Emma and furrowing his brow slightly. Her reaction is not lost on him, and Snow knows he's learned to read their daughter well over the last year. 

“Hmm,” Henry says, sounding slightly disappointed. “I was hoping to teach him to sword fight soon.”

“You might have to wait a bit,” Charming comments, putting his hand on Henry's head. “But by then you'll have a lot more to teach him.”

Henry smiles at that. He's been growing steadily over the last year and is no longer the sweet little boy Mary Margaret remembers. Henry is growing up, and it makes Snow both happy and heartbroken at the same time. 

At least Emma is here for it. She didn't miss it all with her son, as they did with her. 

“Want to meet your brother, Emma?” Charming asks softly. For a moment, it looks like Emma wants to flee. Then she swallows and nods. Carefully, she makes her way into the room until she's a step away.

“Do you want to hold him?” Snow asks, and Emma shakes her head vehemently. She looks strangely close to tears, and it makes Snow wonder if Emma is remembering another boy and another hospital. 

“Hey,” Emma directs at the baby after a moment, who makes a soft noise in return. “A talker already, huh?”

“He gets it from his mother,” Charming says softly, and looks at Snow with eyes bright with love. “Definitely not from me. I'm not much of a talker. No tact.”

“Sounds like me,” Emma comments offhandedly, then seems to realize what she's just said. Father looks at daughter, and Snow has to force back tears. They're so alike and yet it still seems to catch them by surprise sometimes. 

This baby will know his parents, his nephew and big sister and know how alike he is to them all, Snow vows quietly to herself. This baby will know his family and be a part of it. 

II

They stay at the hospital for several days while Snow recovers and the baby gets its check-ups, with Charming hardly leaving their side through it. The dwarfs visit, Ruby visits, even Belle visits and brings Gold with her. 

Regina doesn't, but she lets Henry visit even on the days when he's staying at her mansion. That counts for something, Snow supposes. 

Emma comes by too, always slightly cautious but nevertheless coming to visit her brother. Sometimes her face softens when she looks at him, and Snow takes that as a hopeful sign. 

Charming sleeps in her hospital bed with her, kissing her and caressing her to sleep most nights. When the baby cries, he is always awake and up before her to bring him to her, watching her feed their child intently. 

It is as if he doesn't want to miss even a second of this, this second chance of theirs, and she knows exactly how he feels. 

“He looks like a Leo,” Charming comments softly one night, holding the baby's head while he sucks. It's another night of being woken by a hungry baby, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

“Not a James?” she teases softly, and he makes a slight face.

“I don't think I want to burden him with my twin brother,” he comments, but she can hear that slight tone that always is in his voice when he speaks about his brother. Despite all, Charming regrets never knowing him, Snow knows.

“Jacob,” she suggests and he looks thoughtful. “It means to follow.”

“I remember,” he says, kissing the tip of her nose as she blushes slightly, thinking of all the hours she spent reading names and their meanings to him from a book Mary Margaret had. “Jacob. I like it. Jacob Leo, how's that? Jacob for this world, Leo for ours.”

She nods, and he smiles that smile of his she loves so very much, so she tilts her head and kisses him gently. He smiles into the kiss, lifting his free hand to her ear and caressing it softly.

“I love you,” he says against her lips, drawing a finger along the shell of her ear. “I love you as my wife and I'm going to love you as a mother to our beautiful baby boy. You're going to be _amazing_ , Snow.”

How he can claim not to be much of a talker when he always knows what to say to her, she has no idea, but it's another reason she loves him more than she can say. So she shows him instead, kissing him forcefully until his lips feel hard and swollen against hers.

He's breathing heavily as he pulls back slightly to lean his forehead against hers. 

“I love you,” he says again, glancing slightly down and sideways. “And our sleeping prince.”

Jacob has fallen back asleep, she realizes, and smiles at the peaceful look on his face. Gently, Charming lifts him from her arms and carries him back to the bassinet the hospital has supplied. 

She watches as Charming tucks their baby to sleep, and wonders if she'll ever tire of watching it. She thinks not. Knowing she missed seeing him do this with Emma just makes seeing it now all the more precious. 

Charming notices her glance as he turns around and pads back to their bed. Though technically it's hers and Charming isn't even meant to be here, but no one tried to argue with him when he insisted on staying. She is very glad he is here with her, his presence in her life a beloved necessity by now. She simply cannot imagine life without him, and certainly not raising a child without him. 

“What?” he asks softly, sliding back under the covers with her and pulling her into his arms.

“You already are an amazing father,” she tells him, and he looks as if she's just given him the world. Gently, he kisses her while she closes her eyes. She doesn't open them again, not even when he breaks the kiss. She can feel sleep beckon, and with a soft sigh and Charming's fingers tenderly caressing her face, she falls asleep again.

Until a baby crying wakes her up again just an hour later, of course.

II

Their new house (acquired as a necessity when the pregnancy happened) is a much more suitable size for their family than the loft was, yet Snow misses the intimacy of it sometimes. It was also where she got to know her daughter, and in the new house, Emma has felt distant. 

But when they finally come home from the hospital, Emma has thrown them a surprise party and for once, a surprise party actually is a surprise. Snow genuinely wasn't expecting it. From Ruby, yes. Not from her own daughter, not for a baby that will have everything said daughter should have had.

But they nevertheless come home to a house filled with balloons, a banner Henry has made saying 'welcome Jacob!' and a slightly embarrassed-looking Emma greeting them. There is even a cake and wrapped gifts. 

“Hey,” Emma says, and Charming looks as stunned as Snow feels. 

“Welcome home!” Henry declares enthusiastically, as Charming points out the banner to the baby resting in his arms. 

“I know it's not much...” Emma starts, but Snow embraces her daughter before she can finish.

“It's wonderful,” Snow whispers, and means it. Emma is tense for a moment, then relaxes into the hug. She's even smiling slightly when Snow pulls back. “Thank you.”

“Told you they would like it,” Henry says confidently, and Emma smiles at him with so much love Snow's heart aches. Emma loves her son so very much, just as much as Snow wants to love her daughter.

Maybe one day, when Emma is ready for it and 28 years won't feel like an abyss. Maybe. She has to hope, or she would know for sure it would never happen. 

“Look what your big sister did for you,” Charming directs at Jacob, but with a smile clearly meant for Emma. 

“Very big sister,” Emma comments drily, but she doesn't seem put off by the label of sister at least. She has had several months of getting used to the idea of this new baby, but how far it goes Snow isn't sure. There have been so many other things going on, after all, like there always seem to be. 

“And I'm his nephew,” Henry says proudly. “His big nephew. I'm going to look after him.”

“It's a big responsibility, Henry,” Charming says seriously, giving Emma a wink. “Are you sure you're ready to be his big nephew?”

“Yes,” Henry says, as if making a vow. “I'm ready. And I have to practice in case I become a big brother too.”

Emma splutters, Charming looks ready to reach for his sword at the very thought of his daughter becoming pregnant and Snow wonders whether one day, her daughter, like her, might want to have another chance at what she missed the first time.

II

The baby has his own room, one she and Charming have decorated together and stuffed with about as many toys as they did Emma's nursery. Henry and Emma have helped as well, though Henry was swayed by the excitement of decorating his own room and spent most of his time on that ongoing project.

Emma's room is almost impersonal by comparison, except the growing collection of pictures of Henry. And Snow knows that almost hidden behind one of Henry riding a horse for the first time is one of herself and David at a party at Granny's, holding hands and smiling at each other. It might be just one picture, but for Emma Swan, that's still a very big deal. 

Maybe one day there will be one of Jacob there as well. 

When Snow has tucked Jacob into his crib for the first time, she leans against Charming and he wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. He says nothing. He knows what she is thinking of. 

That ruined nursery in a castle in another world, the one their child never even got to spend the night in. But here is their son, sleeping in his nursery for the first night of many to come. 

His first night in his nursery. The thought makes her breath catch as if in fear. What if, what if...

“I'll get a mattress and some blankets,” Charming whispers, and Snow looks up at him. Somehow, without her saying anything, he's realized what she needs. “We'll sleep here tonight.”

“Thank you,” she says, tip-toeing to kiss him. He leans into it, pressing her closer as if her presence is comforting to him.

“I remember too,” he whispers against her lips, and she knows he shares her irrational fear. 

II

They don't really sleep. 

They just lie awake and curled up together on a mattress on the floor, listening to Jacob's breathing and tiny noises as if every sound is precious. 

Nothing happens. The night passes, and it's another thing they've finally gotten to do – have their child spend a night in a nursery.

In the morning, they finally fall asleep and Emma almost falls over them when she sneaks to check on the baby. 

II

Charming never seems to tire of watching her feed their baby, sitting by her every time. Among the Royals back in their land it was common to have a nursemaid to nurse the baby, but Snow had decided to nurse Emma herself even back then. With Jacob, she's even more determined. 

This is their baby. To her, feeding him isn't a chore, it's a privilege. She missed it with Emma; she's not going to miss it again. 

Not for the world.

II

Snow genuinely never thought she would miss the days of the sleeping curse, but on the fifth night of hardly any sleep, she's starting to get there.

The baby is crying over the monitor. Again. 

“I'll go,” Charming murmurs against her temple, but she is already slipping out of his embrace and getting out of bed.

“He might be hungry,” she points out, reaching for her robe. 

“Mmm,” Charming groans into the pillow before lifting his head and watching her through lowered eyelids. His hair is sticking up at odd angles, and he looks as tired as she feels. “I'll come.”

Jacob is almost wailing when they enter, and Snow hurries to lift him up and ease him into her arms. He doesn't seem hungry, and just keeps crying even when she rocks him gently in her arms. 

“I don't know how to comfort him,” she says brokenly, and Charming kisses her forehead and runs his hand up and down her arm.

“Give it time,” he says softly. “We just got him. We'll learn how.”

She takes a deep breath, biting back the panic. He's right. But where he is all patience, she's always been impatience and pushing. Maybe together they balance each other out, and will as parents too.

“Hey sweetheart,” she says to the baby, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “What's the matter?”

Jacob blinks, his sobs fading. Encouraged, she keeps talking, and even humming and then singing until her baby is silent and asleep in her arms. Gently, she eases him back into his crib and he stays asleep. 

“You did it, mommy,” Charming says softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck. 

“I don't know how,” she admits, but she can't help but smile. She did. She comforted her son, their child. She is a mother. 

“Maybe he just needs the sound of your voice and to know you're there,” Charming suggests and she wonders if it might really be that simple sometimes.

II

Charming might call himself old-fashioned, but he's a very modern co-parenting dad, Snow finds. He helps Emma with sheriff duties and deals with the usual crises and saving Storybrooke business (just as Snow does), but gets a baby carrier for himself and brings Jacob right along with him on a lot of things.

Just as Snow does. 

And so little Jacob Leo experiences his first adventure as a baby strapped to daddy's chest, and his second strapped to mommy's back and even helps save Storybrooke with a well-timed cry on one occasion.

II

“And that's when mommy hit daddy with a rock,” Charming says, and Snow leans against the frame of the door with an amused smile. Her husband seems unaware of her being there, having snuck out of bed to deal with their crying baby in the vain hope she wouldn't wake.

Jacob makes a soft noise at that, and Charming lifts the baby's tiny fingers to the scar on his chin.

“That was mommy,” he says seriously. “Mommy was a bandit back then, just like daddy was a shepherd once. What you're born into isn't always what you end up being. But we'll get to that when you get older. Right, where was I?”

“Mommy hitting daddy with a rock,” Snow says, and Charming turns around to look at her. His lips turn upwards, and she thinks he's never been more lovely than like this; clad only in pajamas pants with his hair a mess, his face tired and his baby boy in his arms. “I believe you were getting to the part where daddy rudely trapped mommy in a net.”

“Right,” he says, standing up. “I was getting to the part where daddy expertly trapped mommy in a net.”

Before she can protest his choice of adverb he kisses her softly, smiling into the kiss. She can't help but smile back, putting her hand to his chest and feeling the warmth of his skin against her palm. 

Jacob makes a shrill cry, and Charming groans, reluctantly pulling away. 

“I think our son has the same objections to us kissing as Emma does,” Snow observes mildly.

“Really?” he asks, glancing down at Jacob. “I don't recall her ever making that sound at it.”

“No,” Snow agrees, thinking of their daughter and smiling. “But she does make a remarkably similar face.”

II

Henry clearly thinks the baby is growing far too slowly, constantly encouraging Snow to feed Jacob more often. Emma watches the baby grow with an increasing failed attempts at being detached, 'accidentally' being there when Charming makes the second mark on the nursery wall at how long Jacob is and comparing it to the first from the day he came home from the hospital. 

“He's growing,” Charming says in wonder, and Snow kisses the baby's forehead and coos at him.

“Babies tend to do that,” Emma comments. “Unless they're cursed not to age for 28 years, I guess. Were there any babies caught by the curse?”

“I don't know,” Snow admits. She thinks of Cinderella, who ended up pregnant for 28 years instead. 

“You would have been,” Charming says after a moment, looking at Emma with soft eyes. He doesn’t mention that that would have been a best case scenario in any case; Regina might just as well have simply killed baby Emma. Emma meets his gaze, then looks down at her feet. 

“Maybe that would have been better,” she says quietly. 

“No,” Snow cuts in forcefully, making both Charming and Emma look at her. “Emma, what we missed with you haunts us every day. Having another baby doesn't change that. But I would have wanted you to grow up, to grow into the wonderful woman you are now. I wouldn't want you to have stayed a baby forever just so I could feel like a mother. I wanted... I want what is best for you.”

“Oh,” Emma says quietly. Then she nods once, as if accepting it.

Baby steps, Snow thinks – with both her children.

II

Regina comes by to pick up Henry one day as Snow is walking around with Jacob in her arms. For a moment, Regina looks almost angry – then she composes herself and gives the baby a look.

“He looks healthy,” she comments, sounding far too determined to be indifferent and thus failing at it. 

“Yeah,” Snow says, swallowing. “Dr. Whale says he's growing well.”

“Henry did too,” Regina says quietly, and for a moment, Snow and Regina look at each other without any hostility at all; just as two mothers.

It's only a moment, but it's still something.

II

Charming is kissing her, tugging at her bottom lip impatiently until she parts her lips and feels his tongue brush hers. His hands are moving up her thighs, pushing her slip upwards and she's moaning into the kiss. She wants him; she needs him. It's been months and a baby since last time, and his skin is warm under her palms as she draws her hands down his chest and finds the waistline of his pajamas pants. 

He's already hard, she can tell from the bulge there, and boldly she lifts her hand to stroke him through cloth. He rewards her with a noise deep in his throat, pushing his hand up between her legs and palming her and she...

The baby monitor fills the room with the shrill cry of their son, and they both pause.

“Fuck,” Charming says, his voice thick with frustration. 

“I'll go,” she says, hearing her own voice be husky and breathless. She swallows, as Charming falls back onto the bed with a sigh. “I'll be right back.”

As it turns out, it isn't right back; Jacob is fussy and hungry and wants both to be fed and to hear a story before she finally manages to coax him back to sleep. 

And thus, by the time she returns Charming is sleeping too, face mashed into the pillow and generally looking like he's been in a war. 

Who would have thought having a baby would be more exhausting than reclaiming a kingdom? 

So she smiles softly, kisses the top of his shoulder and nestles against him; within minutes she is sleeping too.

II

She wakes to Charming's mouth on her skin underneath the covers, his tongue circling her navel and his hands resting on her hips. She sighs softly, encouragingly, and he continues his trek, peppering kisses along her stomach and then downwards, across the cloth of her underwear and then the inside of her thigh.

She moans softly, digging her fingers into the sheet as his fingers begin to peel her underwear off and she's already breathing heavily in anticipation...

“David? Mary Margaret?” Emma's voice calls, and there is a soft knock on the door. “Henry and I are making pancakes for breakfast, you want some?”

Snow bites down on her lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from cursing. She can feel Charming's head crash defeatedly against the mattress underneath the covers. 

“Be there in a minute!” Snow manages to call out, hoping her daughter doesn't pick up on the rather strained undertone to her voice – or if she does, that she thinks it merely due to lack of sleep.

“Okay,” Emma replies, and Snow counts to ten to let Emma walk away before cursing loudly.

Charming laughs as he peeks up from underneath the covers. She gives him an indignant look in return, but he merely kisses her. 

“Like brother, like sister,” he jokes, and at that, Snow has to smile. “Come on, we're getting pancakes and I bet our little prince will be getting hungry soon as well.”

He isn't the only one with an appetite that needs to be sated, Snow thinks.

II

The moment Henry and Emma are out the door to head to Granny's for lunch with Neal and then some mysterious errands they've called Operation Bear Claw, Charming locks the door and then pulls Snow to him, his lips descending on hers before she can even speak. 

She kisses him back as he lifts her up, their fatigue almost forgotten as she links her legs around his waist and grinds against him. The force of it shoves him back against the door, and he groans into the kiss. His lips are hard and demanding against her, tugging and then sucking at her bottom lip as he runs his hands up underneath her sweater until he finds the back of her bra and unhooks it. 

She links her hands around his neck, pressing him closer as he parts his lips and lets her deepen the kiss. He tastes of pancakes and jam and Charming, and the moans he makes into her mouth are delicious too. 

She hasn't felt this desperate for him since the last time he almost died on her; she pushed him down on the jungle floor of Neverland and fucked him senseless without even removing their clothes then, and bit hard into his shoulder as she came. 

She is panting as he moves his mouth to the spot where her neck and shoulder meet, biting lightly into her skin and making her grind into him again. His hands are still supporting her back as he stumbles away from the door, carrying her and kissing her at the same time.

He only manages to get her as far as Mary Margaret's desk – which they brought along in the move – but seems to find that adequate and perches her on the surface. She sighs as he pulls his own t-shirt off smoothly, allowing her hands access to his skin while he pulls at her sweater. He succeeds with a grunt of triumph, discarding it and her loosened bra before lowering his head to her right breast.

He kisses the top of it before flicking his tongue across her nipple, and she holds on to the edge of the desk while letting her head fall slightly backwards. The milk in them is still making her breasts larger than normal, but Charming has large hands that she's always loved and thus manages to palm the other breast still. 

She moans in encouragement, her own hands dipping to his jeans. Normally she enjoys their foreplay very much, with his hands and mouth on her skin drawing moans from her and very much being encouraged. But not this time, and she unzips his jeans and digs her hands inside his underwear. His cock is already hard, and twitches slightly at the touch of her hands. 

“Charming,” she says huskily, and he meets her gaze as he lifts his head. His eyes are dark with desire as he takes in her expression, then nods. 

He pulls her leggings down, then her underwear, pressing his thumb and two fingers down hard between her legs for a moment and she presses against them in response. 

“Snow,” he says, and then he is kissing her and thrusting into her in one sharp stroke at the same time. She makes a noise halfway between a cry and a sigh at it, linking her arms around his neck as she rocks against him. 

It's rough, just as she wanted, his thrusts hard and his pace quick while she clenches her muscles around him and eggs him on. She bites down on his lower lip as he sneaks two fingers between them too, applying pressure until her body is tense and taunt, like an arrow drawn. 

He pauses for a moment then, the bastard, holding perfectly still while they both pant. 

“Snow,” he murmurs, voice breaking. He draws his thumb across her cheek, a strangely tender gesture in the middle of pent-up lust and rough sex. 

“Charming,” she replies and kisses his thumb, then draws it into her mouth.

He pulls almost out of her at that, before pushing into her in a long, slick stroke and she comes apart in a shuddering orgasm. He makes a few more quick thrusts and then he collapses against her, pushing her back into the desk.

She's going to be quite bruised, she thinks faintly, and doesn't even care. 

He is still breathing heavily as he pulls back, looking at her fondly. She kisses him tenderly, feeling his lips curve into a smile against hers. 

“No interruptions this time,” he observes, and she giggles. 

“No, but we did make a mess,” she comments, looking at their discarded clothes and all the things they've managed to knock off the desk.

“I'll clean and you check on Jacob, then take a shower,” he suggests softly, and she nods. “I'll join you.”

II

Jacob is sleeping peacefully as Snow watches him, and she just stands there for a moment, enjoying the sight. 

Their baby slowly growing up, day by day, with them there to watch it.

Yes. This is what she wanted, no matter how exhausted it leaves her. 

Then she heads to the shower to be joined by her husband; the water turns cold before they get out again.

II

As Charming snores on the couch, exhausted from being woken five times the night before and then taking Henry riding, Emma and Snow share a long overdue bottle of wine – though share is perhaps an exaggeration when Snow has a glass and Emma has the rest. Henry is spending the night at Regina's, and Jacob is sleeping for now. 

“I think Henry looked a lot like Jacob when he was a baby,” Emma says as she reaches the bottom of the bottle. “I want to hate him.”

Snow forces herself to be quiet, letting Emma speak. 

“I don't,” Emma goes on. “He's... I look at him, and he's... I don't hate him.”

“I know,” Snow says quietly. She's seen Emma look at Jacob. She knows it's not hate, far from it.

“Just seeing this, it... I could have had this,” Emma says and drains the bottle. 

She looks sad, but Snow fights the urge to pull her into a hug and tell her it will be okay.

It won't. It won't be with what she and Charming lost with Emma, and it won't be with what Emma lost with Henry. It will never be okay.

But they might learn to live with it. 

“You would have had it,” Snow says instead, thinking of that nursery in their land again. 

“I know,” Emma says, swallowing. Then she glances over at David. “Stop pretending you're asleep, dad. You're as bad as Henry at it.”

David makes an indignant noise, then opens his eyes. “Like grandfather, like grandson, huh?”

“Yeah,” Emma says, laughing lightly. “How about we get another bottle of wine if we're going to continue this family mush?”

They end up having two more bottles of wine; and a lot more family mush too. 

II

The baby's shrill cry cuts into Snow's sleep and she groans. She can hear Charming make the same noise.

“He's got your lungs,” he mutters tiredly.

“He's got your stamina,” she counters.

“So between our genes, we've managed to screw ourselves over,” Charming comments and she snorts. “Okay, I'll go.”

“I'll come with you,” she mutters, even as her body is vehemently protesting the idea and her head is about ready to put down a veto. 

But when they reach the nursery, they find that they're not the first ones there. Emma is, and she's carefully lifting the baby up. 

Charming goes completely still next to her, and Snow holds her breath. Emma doesn't seem to notice that they're there, completely focused on the baby.

“Shh,” Emma says gently. “Your mommy and daddy haven't left you. They're just sleeping. You'll see them in the morning. You don't have to be afraid of being abandoned. Not you.”

Jacob makes a noise as if he's listening. 

“You see, in this family, we always find each other,” Emma goes on, and Snow's heart leaps. “I know, it sounds totally corny, but it's true. Henry found me, and I found your... Our mommy and daddy.”

Charming takes her hand and tugs at it, and she nods. Quietly, they slip away, leaving Emma with her baby brother. 

They crawl back into bed, Charming kissing her face as he pulls her into his embrace. She sighs softly, touching his cheek as he pulls back slightly.

He is smiling, his eyes bright. 

“Our,” he says softly. “Our daughter and our son.”

“Our,” she agrees. “Our family.”

They found each other, after all. Henry found Emma, Emma found them, and Jacob will hopefully never have to find any of them unless they're playing hide and seek. It's messy and complicated and has a family tree that hurts to consider, but they did find each other. 

This is it, then. Their go at it.

Snow, Charming and a family. 

II

FIN


End file.
